Prelude To A Life
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: A not-so-simple question of what if, and another life full of potential.


A very short little fic in which Lassiter bumps his head. This is a Lassiet, but with some remnants of Shules. Enjoy!

**Loafer and Lawson, this one's for you!**

Disclaimer: Not mine!

PsychPsychPsychPsych

The explosion came out of nowhere, rocking the building and sending both Juliet O'Hara and Carlton Lassiter flying backward, into a wall. As unconsciousness slowly claimed him, Lassiter heard O'Hara cry out, and the last thought he had was, _Please let her be okay_.

Then he knew no more.

* * *

When Lassiter opened his eyes again, his movements were slow and cautious. He remembered the explosion and Juliet's cries, and he found himself praying that she was okay. Oddly enough, he felt no pain as he slowly moved each of his arms, then his legs. Finally he opened his eyes. To his surprise, he wasn't in a hospital. He was in a bedroom, and the sun was shining brightly through a window.

Where the hell was he?

Slowly he sat up in the bed. It was very comfortable, and he quickly realized that he was naked underneath the sheets. He frowned. What had happened? The last thing he knew, an explosion had sent him and Juliet flying into a wall. At the very least, he should have been in a hospital. And where was Juliet?

"Good morning," a familiar voice greeted him warmly. He looked up to see the very subject of his thoughts enter the room, wearing a large t-shirt and little else. He felt his heart begin to race as she approached the bed. What the hell was going on?

Grinning, Juliet sat down on the bed by his waist. "You slept in." She leaned closer to him and kissed his cheek lightly.

Immediately Lassiter pulled back, his cerulean eyes wide and shocked. "O'Hara, what the hell are you doing?" he demanded, scrambling away from her.

"What do you mean, what am I doing? I'm kissing you good morning."

"Sweet lady justice..." Wrapping a sheet around his waist, he stumbled out of the bed and stared at O'Hara. "Why?"

"Why what? Carlton, you're scaring me." Her blue-green eyes were wide and concerned.

"I'm scaring you? O'Hara, I woke up in this bed, I have no idea where I am or what's going on, and you just tried to kiss me!"

Standing up, she approached him slowly with her palms out in a nonthreatening manner. "Something is wrong," she said slowly.

"Hell yes, there is."

Nodding, Juliet pushed one hand through her thick blond hair. "Carlton, what year is it?"

He gave her a strange look. "What? It's 2012."

She shook her head, obviously concerned. "It's September 21st, 2016."

His mouth fell open as he stared at her. He had lost four years? How? "Huh?" he finally croaked out.

Still moving cautiously, she offered him her left hand. On the ring finger rested an engagement ring and a wedding band.

Sluggish, he looked at his own left hand. There was a matching wedding band on his ring finger. They were…married? Before he could try to form another thought, there was a crashing sound on the other side of the bedroom door. He instinctively reached for a gun that wasn't on him, and he felt incredibly vulnerable. "What was that?"

The door flew open, and two dark haired boys ran in, followed closely by a tiny girl with large blue eyes and blond curls that framed her chubby face.

"Mommy!" The boys rushed over to Juliet, while the little girl toddled over to Lassiter, her arms clutching a much worn and obviously loved teddy bear. He could only stare as she came closer to him.

Juliet hugged their sons and kissed each of them. "Boys, go in the living room and watch cartoons. I have to talk to Daddy."

"Okay, Mommy," the boys echoed before they raced back out of the bedroom.

Juliet watched them go, and then turned to look at her husband. He was looking at their daughter with a strange expression that she had never seen before. With a soft sigh, she made her way over to them and lifted Molly into her arms. "Come here, sweetheart. Daddy doesn't feel well right now."

Lassiter could only stare at the little girl as Juliet carried her out of the room. Once he was alone, he quickly grabbed a pair of shorts that he saw lying on the floor and pulled them on.

Juliet returned a few moments later, still wearing that deeply concerned look. Something had to be wrong with him. He was crazy about their children, and their children adored him. He still looked utterly terrified, much like he had moments before the first time they kissed. "Carlton…?"

Lassiter finally looked at Juliet again, his knees wobbling. If he had married her and fathered her three children, then why couldn't he _remember_? Making love to O'Hara…that was something he fantasized about more than he ever should have. As her partner, it was his job to protect and keep her safe. Not to imagine her writhing beneath him, sweating and panting his name…

_Stop it right there, idiot_.

Realizing that she was calling his name, he met her eyes and tried to speak. But all that would escape his lips was a small amount of air.

Trying to be patient, Juliet reached out and gently touched his arm. "Honey, what is the last thing you remember?"

Briefly he closed his eyes and tried to sort through the fuzzy memories. The last thing he could clearly remember… "The explosion."

Juliet instantly knew what he was referring to. "The car bomb four years ago, when we were almost killed. We kissed for the first time right after you woke up." She had very fond memories of that day, and of all the days that followed it.

"We did?"

"Yes." Taking a chance, she moved closer to him. "We were inseparable after that. Then I got pregnant with the boys…"

He slumped back against the closest wall as his head spun. "Boys…"

Juliet nodded again. "Aidan and Dylan. You love them, so much."

"And…and the girl?"

"Molly Brianna." Juliet couldn't help the radiant smile that appeared, and Lassiter was stricken by it. "She's daddy's little girl."

Three children… Three children with O'Hara, of all people. Before he could stop himself, he murmured, "I want to see them again."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, still trembling slightly.

Gently taking him by the arm, Juliet guided him out of the bedroom and down the hall, into the living room where their children were playing.

He didn't recognize the place at all, but somehow he felt at ease. He could see pictures of himself all over the walls, as well as pictures of Juliet and the children. Several family photos littered the empty spaces, and he instinctively knew that he was happy there.

Upon seeing their parents, Aidan and Dylan jumped to their feet and rushed over. But Molly was more cautious as she studied her father.

Lassiter stared at each of the children, his heart catching in his throat. The boys were almost identical, and both seemed to have Juliet's large blue-green eyes. They also appeared to have her ears, and he started when he realized that he was grateful for that. Self-consciously, he touched one of his ears.

Slowly, Molly finally began making her way over to her parents. Lassiter realized that she was moving, and he watched her slowly toddle over to him. She was a miniature Juliet, except that she seemed to have received his eyes. He dimly recalled Juliet once or twice telling him that she thought he had stunning eyes. Of course he had brushed her off as delusional, but still…

Once she was directly in front of him, Molly seemed to think for a minute. Then she held her hands up and patiently waited.

Juliet leaned into Lassiter. "She wants you to hold her."

"Oh." Hesitating for only a moment, he finally bent over and gathered Molly into his arms. Then he stood upright again and stared into his daughter's face.

Their eyes met as everything else seemed to fade into the background. He felt his heart catch again, and he knew somehow that this was exactly the way his life was supposed to be.

Molly smiled up at him. "Dada."

He closed his eyes briefly against the unexpected surge of emotions. But when he tried to open them again, he couldn't. Dimly he was aware of Juliet calling his name as she pulled Molly from his arms, and he tried to cry out in protest.

_No_…

Then he was falling, falling into nothing.

* * *

He felt the fluorescent lighting long before he really knew where he was. His entire body ached, and his lungs protested as he tried to draw a deep breath.

"Take it easy, Carlton," a soothing voice said.

Finally he forced his eyes opened, revealing the one person he wanted to see more than anyone else in the world.

"Juliet…"

Juliet gave him a tearful smile. "There you are."

He shifted his hips uncomfortably. "Where…?"

"Shh…" She reached out and tenderly smoothed his hair back. "We're at Santa Barbara General. You've been unconscious for almost two days."

He blinked slowly as the memories of the explosion came back to him. That meant…

_Of-freaking-course_.

"What is it, Carlton?"

Three kids, a marriage… In his dream, it had all started with a kiss. Was he willing to take that chance for the possibility of a life with her?

Hell yes.

He motioned her closer, until she was leaning over him. Then, in a relatively uncoordinated move, he reached up and placed his arm around her neck, pulling her even closer. His mouth sought hers in a heated kiss, and after just a few moments, she closed her eyes and returned the kiss with unbridled enthusiasm.

So this was kissing Juliet O'Hara.

Yeah, he could absolutely get used to this.

* * *

Three months after their first kiss and his release from the hospital, Lassiter and Juliet were impossible to separate. Vick didn't even bother trying, only pointing out that if they had any trouble, she would be forced to split them up. Of course, she would never admit to them that she would go to any reasonable length to keep them together. They were her best team, after all.

Shawn Spencer took it the worst, understandably. Juliet did her best to let him down easy, and he had accepted her decision with a maturity and sadness that belied his usual antics. Then he had gotten onto his motorcycle and disappeared for a full month. It was almost a full month before anyone heard from him again.

Lassiter awoke one morning in particular in time to hear Juliet retching in the bathroom, and he couldn't help smiling as he climbed out of the bed and joined her in the bathroom.

She was on her knees in front of the toilet, still gagging. Trying not to smile, he knelt down behind her and gently pulled her thick blond hair back away from her face.

"Sweetheart, how do you feel about the names Aidan and Dylan?" He reached his free hand around and gently touched her flat stomach.

"Maybe Molly?"

The End.

A/N: Yes, I know it was short. But I just had to run with it! Thanks so much for reading, and please review!


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